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Blog Entry 48 of 68 The Write Words
I hope to write about anything and everything that comes into my mind, as long as it is in good taste. I hope to communicate effectively and stimulate thought and conversation. I can't wait to get started!

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~ErinsBlog

Outrageous government spending

Contributed by: Erin Di Paolo   on 5/25/2007

A day does not go by that we don't read or hear about government misuse of funds. Of course, the pet peeve these days is to rant and rave about the waste of money that is the war in Iraq, which may or may not be appropriate. But I read about something recently that I KNOW is a waste of funds. And not only that, but a downright outrage.

I read in The Rocky Mountain News that "scores" of our veterans are receiving checks for the rest of their lives because they have sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). Not only are they being paid for their immoral, illicit behavior, but for something that they did not "catch" as a result of active duty in the military. Instead, it is for diseases they contracted while making risky life choices while they served in the ranks. In other words, they are being paid for sleeping on the job, pun intended.

Apparently the so-called "disability" payments, a term I use loosely (no pun intended), are made from a three-decade old provision that allows veterans to collect benefits from STDs they contracted or aggravated while in the service. In other words, some may be compensated for diseases they caught on their own time.

Is this not the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard? Service people are being paid for having a variety of sexual partners, but we have thousands of children who go hungry in our country every single day.

Just how much are they paid, collectively? Millions, according to the story, with thousands of veterans receiving the benefit, acknowledging, by the way, they became infected after engaging in illicit sexual activity.

How in the world did a law like this ever come to be and why? Congress passed the law after the Vietnam War, allowing for veterans that caught even genital warts to be compensated as a "service-connected" condition, thus entitling affected, infected vets to receive $100 a month for the rest of their lives, the same amount that veterans receive for battle-related wounds or injuries.

Of course it goes without saying that Iraq veterans, some of who reportedly have received nothing for their legitimate, war-related injuries, are rip-roaring angry about this, as well they should be.

And we wonder why our country is falling apart.



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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Erin Di Paolo

Denver , CO

Erin Di Paolo has posted 68 blog entries and 1 comment since joining on 3/18/2006. Erin Di Paolo 's average blog rating is 4.45.
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